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The Natural Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) and Louisiana Floodplain Management Association (LFMA) recommend a nine-step process to make a damaged community better prepared for the next disaster. This website provides more background information on these steps.

08-19-2016 Louisiana Flood Update!

Residents and local officials in the areas hit by the recent flooding are working full time to preserve what they can and start rebuilding their damaged homes and businesses so their lives can get back to normal as soon as possible. The problem with getting back to “normal” is that while we don’t know when and we don’t know how badly, the areas flooded will inevitably be hit again, quite possibly by a larger flood or hurricane.

The Louisiana Floodplain Management Association recommends that affected residents and communities not go straight back to “normal.” We have an opportunity to take steps now, to build back safer, smarter, and in a manner designed to reduce misery for future generations. We can and should rebuild so the danger and damage from the next disaster will be lessened.

In some cases following the devastation wrought by hurricanes and floods, community leaders did not rush to return to normal. They stopped and thought about a smarter course. They developed plans to mitigate the effects of future hazard events.

Note: These steps follow a logical order, but not necessarily a chronological order. Do not wait for each step to be completed before you go to the next one. Many can be done concurrently. It is recommended that you become familiar with what needs to be done for each step, assign people to implement them, and coordinate progress.

The City of Conway, South Carolina, followed an earlier version of these steps after being flooded by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The following pages include links to the materials prepared by Conway’s staff.

An earlier version of these nine steps were presented in a webinar following Hurricane Sandy.

Watch the Webinar

Click here for a PDF copy of the basic nine step paper prepared for communities.

Next→ Step 1. Know the rules